How I Got My Agent + Update

​I'm really bad. I haven't blogged for many months. Same excuses--teaching and writing. But hey, it's Spring Break, so I wanted to update my blog for many reasons.

In December I signed with a literary agent, Adria Goetz of Martin Literary. How did I get an agent, that famous question everyone usually asks? The short answer: Twitter. I simply responded to the tweet of a different agent!

If you want to know the LONG answer, keep reading. I also was able to land an agent because of many years of reading and writing and studying the craft, taking picture book classes, attending webinars, participating in critique groups, and connecting online in writing Facebook groups, mainly one called 12x12, which I've blogged about before.

I had submitted to many agents and was getting personal feedback and very close, even had a phone call with one, but it didn't work out. Then, you know that phrase, when it rains, it pours? Two agents had my requested manuscripts, and then I saw an interesting tweet from another agent I follow on Twitter. She announced there was a new agent at her agency, a children's agent who would specialize in the Christian market. My eyes took notice, and I started researching her. My stories weren't specifically for the Christian market, but they could be tweaked to lean that way. I queried Adria with two stories I felt she might like. The next day she said to send them over. About three weeks later, she emailed that she had read my stories that same day I emailed them and hadn't been able to stop thinking about them. And she asked for THE CALL! I was thrilled. So that weekend (working out time zones) we talked, and I printed out those lists of questions to ask an agent, and she offered representation. I signed the contract on December 5th, after first querying her on October 30th. To God be the glory!

It's been wonderful having Adria by my side, my advocate, cheerleader, and one to submit for me. If it wasn't for her, I think I would have given up on one of my stories. We've gotten good feedback from editors and are pushing my story to be the best it can be. I've learned that real, true, revising is HARD.

Adria will also help negotiate my Scholastic Asia contract for my novel coming out next summer 2018! I heard from my editor and have received a list of things to revise. 

Meanwhile, my husband & I just finished proofreading a Korean/English pocket dictionary for a publisher. Who knew there was such a job? And because of my blogging about guided reading books, a publisher from Australia discovered my site and just commissioned me to write 22 books for them. I guess I might not have another blog post until summer. :P
​Thanks for bearing with me!  What have you all been up to?